Rotary internal-combustion engine.



E. H. EWERTZ. ROTARY INTERNAL GOMBUSTION ENGINE.

APPLICATION FILED FEB.12, 1910. 980,506.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

INVENTOR 9%@ ATTORNEYS Patented Jan. 3, 1911.

, E. H. BWBRTZ. ROTARY INTERNAL GOMBUSTION ENGINE. v

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 12, 1910.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 l f' N I' f rNvE R ATTORNEYS Patented Jan. 3,y 1911.

HHHIIH .wsTNEssEsf @.4- ffm ERIC HARALD EWERTZ, OF WLLASTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

ROTARY INTERNAL-COMBUSTN ENGINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 3, 1911.

Application filed February 12, 1910. Serial No. 543,515.

To all whom it 'may concern:

Be it known that I, ERIC I-I. EWER'rz', a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing in'the city of Wollaston, county of Norfolk, and Commonwealth of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Rotary Internal- Combustion Engines; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

The object of my invention is to provide an improved rotary internal combustion engine having a combustion chamber into which the combustible mixture is admitted, and in which it is compressed, ignited and permitted to 'expand -to develop the propelling maximum compression.

force,'and from which the expanded products of combustion are exhausted, during'the rotation of the rotary element. To this end,

I provide an outer member or casing inclosing a .combustion chamber and within which is'an inner member, the outer and inner member being capable'of rotary movement with respect to one another, and being of such relative shape orv configuration that the combustion chamber inclosed between them has a different volume at different parts,l that is, hasa different cross-sectional area on different radial planes parallel to the axis of the en 'ne. Between the two members, and dividing the combustion chamber into compartments, are arranged a series of` partitions of such character as to be capable of varying in length to correspond to the varying distance between theinner and outer members, wherebythe volume of each compartment is correspondingly 'varied during rotation. I further provide connections for supplying a combustible mixture to the said.

compartments at a point or period of rotation where they are of large volume; and ignition mechanism for igniting the mixture at or near the point or period of rotation where the compartments are of minimum volume and. the combustible mixture is at In this way the combustible mixture is compressed by the relative rotation of the parts, and the consequent reduction in'volume of the compartments, and is ignited near the pointof maximum compression,.- the arrangement being such that as the mixture burns and the gases" expand-they -act upon the leading` partition to develop the propelling force, and after .which is fastened to theend hausted through a suitable exhaust port.

Furthermore in accordance with my invention provision is made for thoroughly iiushing the combustion compartments, and reducing the temperature within thev engine. To this end, they arrangement is such that when combustion has taken place within a compartment during one rotation, then during the next rotation there is supplied to it a quantity of air or other cooling non-combustible gas. This is effected, in the pre'- ferred arrangement, by dividing the com'- bustion chamber into an odd number of compartments, and providing 'separate conduits for leading to the inlet port a combustible mixture and air or other cooling non-combustible gas, together with a valve or valves controlling said conduits and actuated at regular intervals, so that as the compartments rotate they are automatically lled on one revolution with the'combustible mixture and on the next revolution with the air or other vcooling gas.

In the drawings Figure 1 1s a central see- 4tion partly in elevation of the casing containing the rotating member and the movable partitions. Fig. 2 is a section on the line 2 2 of Fig. 1, artly in elevation to amplify the illustration. tailed section through the rotatable valve for supplying alternately a combustible mixture and. air`or other cooling gas to the combustionfcompartments, and Fig. 4 is a detailed section showing the packing arrangement for the side of eachl movable partition.

i the gases have thus expandedthey are exi rig. s is a des.

The casing a; of my improved enginel is i approximately elliptical in cross-section as shown and is provided with a water jacket of ordinary construction to reduce the temperature. It-has an inlet ort at b, controlled by the rotatin va ve above mentioned and which will further described hereinafter; and an outlet or exhaust port at o. Within this chamberis a'rotating drum d concentrically mounted on the shaft e of thev engine, and this drum carries a series of movable orextensible partitions f. ,The structure o f the partitions can readily be seen from Fig. 1 where it will be observed that each one comprises a body portion recessed at its inner end to receive a vspring g, and carrying at its outer end a shoe h rocking on a cylindrical bearing. member h o the partition 'f bya countersunk screw h2..

-To prevent f leakage past the side faces of the* partitions f I set ,into tho-se faces packing strips z' pressed outward against the wall of the combustion chamber by springs z" and extending the entire length of the partition and across the i. end'of the cylindrical bearing member it',

lin curvature tothe end walls of thecasing, and theV central portions. .of the s/hoe faces corresponding to the attened portions of vthe casing between the curved end ortions.

As a matter of convenience in'manutacture I prefer toform the casing of two'semi-cir- .cumferences united' by an intermediate ,straight portion instead of making it exactly elliptical.

The partitions f, instead of-being mounted radially on the rotary member d,

are tangential to a circle lying in the body of the rotary member and concentric with it. When Ia plurality of' partitions are mounted in' thisv way .onthe rotary member it results that at the point of maximumv compression the partition which forms the leadthe lag -ng wall of the compartment. This ing wall-of the compartment presents a greater area thanthe partition which forms is cleary shown in Fig. 1 and it results -in increasing `the rotary etl'ect of the expanding gases. I i

The combustible mixture and the cooling air orgother-inert-ygas, are admitted to the combustion compartments through"4 the ort b bymeans of the rotating valve my w 'ch is divided by the partition n (see Fig. 3).

The air, or other cooling gas, is admittedto one side of the partition m inthe rotary ing I have valve by conduit 7s, and the combustible mixture is admitted to the otherl side'of the w valve by conduit Z. Either of these conduits l' 45 may also conveniently constitute the, driving axle for rotating the valve, and in `*the drawillustrated the conduit k Has peri formingthat function. To this endthere is mounted on conduit f: a pinion g meshing witl'ian idler pinion p which in turn meshes with a driving pinion o on the shaft ofthe motor. The speed ratios'oi the pinions are 4such'that the rotary valve feeds alternatelythe combustiblemixture' 'and the'cooling air or gas into the combustioncompartments.

Thatis to say, following a cycle of theengine, when a compartment is in position 1 of Fig. 1 it is .taking in a supply o the com- 60' bustible mixture; It then' moves on to' posi-v tion 2 where compression begins and .at position 3 the area is reduced to the minimum and the compression is uat the maximum, and Moving I and# developing their propelling. orce an scribed.` 1

whereby there is supplied to eac from position 4 to 5 the products of combustion are exhausted. There are an vodd num ber of compartmentsso that when the compartment we have been considering arrives again at position 1, it will receive a supply o l the air or other cooling gas and will contmue through the second rotation with `this inert charge, so that in a particular compartment there is one explosion forevery two 'complete rotations. In this way the temperature is reduced and the entire operation yof the engine is dependent upon b11t` ay single 'valve of simplicity. y

What I claim isz-s L A rotary internal combustion engine,

the rotarytype land of great having a casing in'closing a combustion chamber, within which is` mounted a partition-carrying member, the casing l and lthe "partition-carrying member being capable of relative rotation and being so shaped that the-space between them isvof difereiitcrosssectional areaat diHerent parts, on radial planes parallel to the axis of the engine, partitionsdividing said space and capable of varying in length to maintain the division of said space into se arate compartments throughout the rotation, whereby the compartments vary in volume during the rotation, mechanism for supplying to each compartment at a position of relatively large volume a combustible mixture during one revolution and a charge of .cooling gas during the next succeedin revolution, mechanism for firin '-the'com ustible mixture near the point o minimum volume and maximum com ression, and an exhaust port a in position to ucts of combustion,l substantially las de- 2. A rotary'v linternal combustion engine having a casing mclosing a combustion chamber, within which is mounted a. arti-V tion-carrying member, the casing an the partition-carrying member bein relativerotation and being so haped tha't the space between themis of different crosssectional area.at diierent arts on radial planes parallel to the axis o the engine, an odd/ number of partitions" dividing said space and capable of var ing length to maintain the division ofy separate compartments throughout the rotation, whereby the-com ort through the wall of said casing, a con uit for leading a combustible mixture to said port, a secondv conduit for leading air or other cooling` as to said port, valve mechanism control ing said conduits and arport at' periodic intervals, the said inlet port being located at a position where the compartments are of relatively lar e volume,

compartischarge the expanded prodcapable of said space into yof combustion, substantially as described.

3. A rotary internal combustion engine having a casing inclosing a combustion charnber, within which is concentrically mounted a partition-carrying member, the casing and the partition-carrying member being capable of relative rotation, and being so shaped that the space'between them is of dierent cross-sectional area at different parts on radial planes parallel to the axis of the engine, partitions dividing said space and capable of varying in length to maintain the division of said space into separate cornpartments throughout the rotation, said partitions being, mounted in the rotary member tangentially to a circle lying within and concentric with it, and mechanism for admitting a combustible charge to the compartments so formed, mechanism for igniting the charge therein, and an exhaust outlet for the expanded' products oi combustion, substantially as described.

4. A rotary internal combustion engine having a casing inclosing a combustion chamber, within which is mounted a partitioncarrying member, the casin gand the artition-carrying member being capable o relative rotation and-being'so shaped that the spacel between them is of di erent cross- Y Y scribed.

sectional area at different arts on radial planes parallel to the axis o the engine, an o'dd number of partitions dividing said space and capable of varying in length to maintain the division of said space into separate compartments throughout the rotation, whereby the compartments vary in volume during the rotation, an inlet port through the wall of said casing, a conduit for leadlng a combustible mixture to said port, a second conduit for leading air or otherrcooling gas to said port, -arotary valve controlling said conduits,.and driving connections from the shaft of the engine to said valve, of such speed ratio as to feed the combustible mixture to one compartment and the cooling air y or gas to the next compartment, the said inlet port being located at a position where the compartments are et relatively large volume, whereby there is supplied to each compartment a combustible mixture during-one revolution and a charge of cooling gas during the next succeeding revolution, mechanism for firing the -combustible mixture near thel point of minimum volume and maximum compression, and an exhaust port in position to discharge the expanded products of combustion, substantially .as de- In testimony whereof I aiiix my signature, in presence of twowitnesses.

F RANK L. BRAKE, W.l D. FEHLER. 

